


Humanity's Valor

by Resilience



Category: Inuyasha - Fandom
Genre: Demons, Determination, Ethical Dilemmas, Ethics, F/M, Fluff, Good and Evil, Humanity, Magic, Moral Dilemmas, Morality, Plot, Plot Devices, Psychological Torture, Smut, Witchcraft, butchering the japanese language, im too young to be writing this crap, never give up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-10
Updated: 2013-11-10
Packaged: 2018-01-01 01:24:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1038670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Resilience/pseuds/Resilience
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Humans are the lowliest creatures on earth. They hate, lie, cheat, steal, murder, fear, and rape. They are selfish and impulsive. But there is also a good side to humans. They can love, care, heal, save, cooperate, and share. They are determined and thrive anywhere. What if that's all human's could do? What if they did more? In this fic, the Demons of Japan find more in a human's heart than what they thought was there. Can humans rise above the small expectations of their superiors, prove all them wrong and do the unpredictable? The pure power of determination and good will could change everything, and it could all start with one person... </p><p>Kagome. </p><p>WROTE IN HIGH SCHOOL, NEEDS TO BE UPDATED, still pretty decent read tho, give it a try</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> lol lets see how this goes. i had 10 chapters written for this in a two year span of time then lost interest. if outside interest picks back up, then ill pretty much HAVE to continue it. 
> 
> here goes nothing!

It was so cold…..why was it so cold? 

Where had this unforgiving arctic come from? As she shivered in her crouching position, Kagome thought about the feeling of loneliness that had settled in her stomach. The feeling was so …unfamiliar, foreign. She could not see anything more than ten feet in front of her, everything surrounding her pitch black, howling, and eerie. 

A wild wind had started, billowing snow coming to rest on Kagome’s head and shoulders.

“I-Inuyasshha…get m-me out of he-re…,” she breathed. It felt as if her lungs were on fire…or frozen. It was one of those feeling, you just could not tell which was which. So little air was getting to her, blowing away with the steady wind, making her mouth dry and throat frozen. She could feel something tingly in her leg, but brushed it off as numbing…which was not really a good thing to do. 

Suddenly, the scene before her changed. It became sunny, bright. A large mirage was displayed in front of her, and she saw a desert. The feeling of loneliness disappeared and was replaced with something else, something that felt almost like apprehension or anxiety. Nevertheless, she quickly forgot about the feeling, and giggled instead at the feeling of the sand between her toes, tickling her calloused feet. She stood up and stretched in the warm sun. Kagome gawked at the infinite rolling hills of sand. 

She stood transfixed, immobilized, limp, staring at the hills. She did not know how long she stood and gazed at the hills. Their snake-like movements had captured her mind and eyes.  
As the wind stopped from the earlier winter scene, she gathered the air around her in gasps, unfreezing her throat. She cleared her mind and thought back to the moments before these…illusions…had trapped her. Kagome needed to remember how she had gotten here….if here was anywhere. 

She had been with Inuyasha and the gang and they just finished battling a snake youkai. A newcomer who called herself Mikuro appeared after that and had introduced herself to them as a healer. She said that she had witnessed the battle and saw Kagome get hurt during the encounter, and decided to approach us to see if she could be of any help. Inuyasha had set Kagome down near a tree where she could rest and Mikuro had given her a drink to ease the pain, like a sedative. It stunk really badly, almost like gas and garlic. She remembered Sango coming over to look at the wound, saying that it wasn‘t too deep and didn‘t look that bad, but her voice sounded muffled. Mikuro said something and in the very beginning of her sentence, I couldn‘t hear her anymore. 

Inuyasha had gotten up from where he sat at Kagome’s side and looked angry and said words that were never heard. Everything had become blurry and then…nothing. 

Kagome didn’t remember anything after the sedative. Had Mikuro done something to her? Had she put something in the drink other than anesthetic to make her have these dreams and emotions? 

Why had Inuyasha looked so angry? 

Kagome sat down in the sand, feeling very worn out, dazed, and tired. Her mouth began to water and she lay down staring up into the sun. The heat was probably getting to her. If Kagome guessed right, then this was a bad thing. She knew the symptoms of it, but she wasn’t sure if this was it. She pulled at the skin of her arm and when she let go, it stayed up. She was dehydrated. Super dehydrated. Just like she thought. 

Kagome tried to get up, but failed. She tried again, and got to her knees but fell over. One more try, she thought. On the third try, she made it. She started walking up and over and back down the never-ending hills of sand. 

She walked for what felt like miles, over maybe one hundred hills, whether they be big or small. It’s just what it feels like though. That doesn’t have to mean that it’s right, does it? On the other hand, maybe it does…Kagome thought. Just have to…get over this…hill and…I know I’ll be back… 

She fell on her knees and collapsed face first into the sand. She lay there, almost inert, and drifted into a nothing…again. 

~~~~In the Real World~~~~ 

“What the hell did you do to her?!” Inuyasha yelled. He wasn’t stupid; he knew what an anesthetic did to a person, and this wasn’t it. He jumped up and unsheathed Tetsusaiga, ready to defend Kagome. 

Miroku had his right hand set at the ready and Sango gripped her katana tightly, the Hiraikotsu being of no use at such short range. Kirara transformed next to Sango and Shippo shakingly stood next to Kagome, with his Fox Fire ready to protect her. 

Mikuro cackled and said, “You fools, how could you not sense my demonic aura being shielded? Are you truly that weak? I shielded it right after you destroyed the snake and yet you still did not recognize another foe approaching. Hahahaha, you sad, pathetic beings.” 

“Don’t make me ask it again, bitch! What did you do to Kagome?!!” Inuyasha screamed at her. He was sick of her talking. Why was that all everyone ever did? Never any action! 

“Nothing, I only gave her a drink. Just to cool her off and make her sweat, make her blood flow swift and fever rise. Make her heart race and divide her life in two binds.” 

“What the fuck does that mean?!” came from Inuyasha. 

“It means she gave Kagome a poison. It’s a gas, called arsine, turned into a liquid, and mixed with arrowroot, asbestos, ascarid eggs, and aryl. The edible bulb of the arrowroot plant grows tremendously fast, and if swallowed, the plant will grow throughout the skeletal system, paralyzing the individual. The asbestos is a mineral used for its inertness; the ascarid is a parasitic nematode worm that causes inflammation of the wounds. When they are implanted in a fresh open sore, due to the body heat, they hatch and infect the injured area. Aryl is just another name from a chemical group, a resultant from benzene or another aromatic hydrocarbon. Which means, Inuyasha, Kagome is poisoned by double amounts, paralyzed by skeletal and mental systems, and will be in terrible pain if we don‘t do something.” Miroku patiently explained. 

“Thank you Miroku, for explaining it for me,” said Mikuro, who bowed to him in gratitude. 

“Anything for a beautiful….woman. Now, I must ask you….” he walked up to her and bent down on one knee, grasping her hands. She didn’t even flinch away. “Will you bear my children…and save Kagome?” 

Should’ve seen that one coming, Sango thought. She, Inuyasha, Shippo, and even Kirara were standing there, gaping at him. Why, in all of this, in this battle where Kagome’s life was ticking away, was he womanizing at this very moment?! 

“MONK, you are unbelievable!! After Kagome’s better, I’ll let her do the honors this time, since it’s her life on the line, and oh are you gonna be sorr-” 

“RRAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!” screamed Mikuro. 

Miroku jumped back as he placed the sealing sutra on a very distracted Mikuro’s wrist. 

Her screaming continued. Inuyasha smashed his head to the ground covering his ears, “THIS BITCH SCREAMS LIKE THE BANSHEE HERSELF!!! SHUT HEERRR UUUUUUUUUPPPPPPP!!!!” 

The sutra finally wore away, leaving Mikuro stuck in an icy prison, forever. 

“It’s about time she shut up. I think I need some ear surgery or something.” Inuyasha popped his ears. 

“Wait…..Miroku? Um, don’t we need her to get rid of the poison and paralysis in Kagome?” Shippo asked. It was a good question, and Sango thought she would have at least thought about it before she started screaming at Miroku for womanizing. 

“Should we unfreeze her and force her to tell us?” asked Sango. 

“No. Not at all, my dear Sango. I know the remedy to cure this. The problem is getting the herbs and juices.” 

Sango and Shippo sighed. They should’ve known it wouldn’t have been that easy. 

“How long might it take?” Sango asked. 

“I don’t know.” he shrugged. 

“You’re hopeless Miroku.”


	2. Chapter 2

Inuyasha leapt from tree to tree, unaware of Kagome’s entrancement. Her continued mumbling of his name made him wary, and he thought she was in a subconscious state.

He held her bridal style, because she would have fallen off if he had put her on his back, and if he had slung her over his shoulder, she would have sat him into the afterlife. 

Sango and Miroku were following closely behind on Kirara in the air. Shippo was perched on Miroku’s shoulder. 

~~~In Kagome’s Mind~~~

“Inuyasha…” 

When Kagome had woken up, she could feel cold are rushing past her and felt nauseous. She tried to get up, but she could feel nothing beneath her. As she looked around, she saw clouds, nothing else. She screamed. 

But her scream just echoed, bouncing around her as if rolling off of invisible walls. Suddenly, ground was coming up fast beneath her. Was she going to impact that little piece of dirt beneath her?! She panicked and started squirming in the air, trying to fly away.

“INUYASHHHAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!”

~~~In the Real World~~~ 

Inuyasha paused on a tree branch, and listened to the surrounding woods. Kagome twitched in his arms, as if she was having a small seizure. 

Kirara stopped above him, and he called out, “You keep going ahead. I’m going to check the area.”

“Shouldn’t Kagome come with us then?” asked Sango. 

“No, she’s safer with me. I can protect her better. If she’s with you, I may not be able to get there in time to help.” As he glanced down, he saw Kagome’s mouth move open a fracture and heard his name whispered out. So silent. 

Sango screwed up her face, as if she took offense, but then brushed it off because she knew what he meant. That was just how he was. She told Kirara keep going. The firecat looked reluctant to do so, but as Sango urged her to go, she slowly took off. 

Inuyasha looked down at the sleeping form in his arms. She whimpered his name again. It shook him to see her like this, in such a weak state. It rubbed him in a weird direction the way she kept saying his name. Sometimes it would be in pain, in loneliness, in anger, in protectiveness…and sometimes…in desire. He couldn’t put a label on it. He knew she didn’t love him, and he wasn’t sure if she wanted him. But her voice told him yes, his own heart told him yes, but his ever-so-logical mind said no. It was impossible. Who could love a half demon? 

He dismissed the thoughts completely, and sat down with Kagome still in his lap. He stared at her for a while. He couldn’t. He couldn’t leave Kagome for Kikyo. He just couldn’t. Kagome was sweet and kind, yet forceful and even powerful. And she was alive. She was warm, had a heart, and…looked like his Kikyo. But, Kikyo was dead, she stole souls from the living, she would either help Naraku or try to kill him for her own gain. She was cold, and depressed, and didn’t act like the Kikyo he knew. 

As he thought about it more, his thoughts turned to their actions. Kikyo had barely argued with him, never gotten up and yelled. She didn’t put up a fight with him, only laughed and made him feel stupid for acting the way he did or saying something. If he had tried to mate with Kikyo, would she have been able to birth a child and live? That brought up even more questions, like how the child would survive with holy and demon blood inside it. He swiped the thoughts away. Kikyo had loved him, and then tried to kill him. Kikyo had pierced him with arrows, had not felt any remorse when she tried to take him to hell with her. Well, except for the fact that she couldn’t take him down with her was Kikyo’s only remorse. She had tried to kill Kagome. She had tried to kill all of his friends in one way or another. His Kikyo was dead; the one he knew was gone. She was a thing of the past. 

And then there was Kagome. She was lively, always put up a fight, made him struggle with his dominance and control over her. She kept him on his toes. Kagome was understanding of him, and caring, and fought for him. She protected him in so many ways. And she was from the fricken future! Being part of two worlds was fun. The future was weird, and more dangerous than this one, he thought. She was his first friend. She had been with him the longest and said she always would be. There was no other girl who could keep him in line. Kagome was strong, strong enough to ba- no, stop those thoughts right now, he thought to himself, if she wanted to be, then I would. But I don’t know what she wants. What if…no I can’t do the ‘what ifs’ right now. I need to focus on Kagome getting better. 

~~~In Kagome’s Mind~~~

Kagome opened her eyes. She tried to breath in, get a good breathe of fresh air. Instead, she choked on swallowed water. “GAH….Inuyasha!!” she said underwater. 

She started to swim upwards, towards the surface. As she broke water, something sharp pierced the inside of her stomach. She gasped in pain, flinging her head back. Water fell on her face as she screamed, and she knew something wasn’t right with these illusions of hers. 

Kagome crawled to shore, and fell into a tiny ball. She hugged her knees and fell asleep.

~~~In the Real World~~~

He stared down at her again. “Kagome…”

He silently swore to himself and to Kagome, no, Kagome, I won’t leave you. Ever. Not for Kikyo, not for anyone. 

She whispered his name, giving him her unknown approval. 

~~~In Kagome’s Mind~~~

“Inuyasha.” She pretended he was here with her. She had climbed onto his lap, and sat in it, where he wrapped his strong arms around her. 

They were far back in a cave, sitting against the wall.

Her fantasies were getting better and better, even if they were just by a little bit each time. “Kagome…” he whispered in her ear. His warm breath massaged her neck, and it made her giggle. 

She turned around in his lap. “Inuyasha, I have a special present for you.” She said. But she suddenly stopped. Why did the scenes keep changing? She recorded them in her mind: arctic, desert, sky, ocean, and fantasy. She could see a pattern in this. 

She looked up and saw Inuyasha smirking like he used to before he met her, as if he knew something she didn’t. She glared at him and said, “Go away.” And he did, for once. 

She turned back around and sat down, sitting against the wall. Okay, she thought, so the first four illusions I had had to deal with the elements, all opposites of each other, but always connected. The fifth one, with Inuyasha, was a fantasy. The opposite of a fantasy is a reality? Yeah, so does that mean I will be back with the others in my next…illusion? Or will I be a ghost outside of my body, looking in on the outside? 

Kagome hugged her knees at the thought of being excluded, being invisible. She never could stand it, never. But here, in the Feudal era, she was noticed because of the way she looked. Well, her looking like Kikyo was one and the way she dressed and talked was another. In her time, Kagome was shoved around as she walked through the hallways of her school. She had four friends, five if you counted Houjo. But she didn’t want to think about that now. She had only gotten homesick once, and she had promised herself it wasn’t going to happen again. 

Suddenly, she shot up from her slouched position. She had an epiphany.

What’ll happen if I knock myself out instead of being knocked out accidentally? Where would I be? In my body, awake? Or in the sky, a ghost? She quickly picked up a nearby rock, before she could change her mind. It was heavy, and big.

The rock almost slid from her grasp as she raised it above her head. Then she paused, her senses coming back to her. Thoughts popped up and she suddenly felt panicky and ashamed. What was she doing?! She could fracture her skull of she actually did this! She put down the rock, and lay down on the hard ground. She wasn’t all that tired, but she needed to find out what would happen to her. Would she be in the reality?

She fell asleep within minutes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in case you don't know:
> 
> Houshi- monk, priest  
> Sama- lord, lady  
> Chan- umm……I think this is just a formal name given to people that other’s respect  
> Oba- elder brother  
> Inu- dog  
> Kitsune- fox  
> Taijiya- demon-slayer  
> Youkii- a youkai‘s territorial marking (sp?)  
> Youkai- full demon  
> Hanyou- half demon  
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Houshi…” Sango wearily asked.

“Yes?” 

“Inuyasha has been gone a long time. I wonder if something happened to him…or Kagome. It’s making me worry.” Sango watched Kirara play with Shippo in the field as she wondered where they were.

Kirara heard her worries, and started wandering back to Sango, occasionally being tackled by Shippo. But as he saw her intents not changing, he wobbled his dizzy, twirling self over to Miroku’s side. Kirara purred as she reached Sango’s crossed legs, rubbing her side against them.

“Have no fears, Sango. Inuyasha can take care of himself….and Kagome.”

“Yeah, no worries Sango! Kagome’ll be back up on her feet in no time!” added Shippo.

Sango smiled at his nonchalant remark, nonetheless she still worried for Kagome. And besides, Inuyasha would never let anything happen to her, just as Miroku said. Sango looked at the child fox. He was much too carefree for a kitsune. But then again, he was still very young.

She did not know what to think of all this. She specialized in destroying demons and knowing medication for poisons, gases, and infected wounds, not about this philosophical, scientific nonsense. She didn’t understand it. And Miroku had yet to explain what affect the spell had on Kagome, or what his remedy, which he also had yet to gather, was supposed to do and how it was supposed to work. Sango sighed, exasperated. What was her role in all of this going to be? she wondered. Was her friend going to be okay?

~~~With Inuyasha~~~

“Inuyasha.” Kagome kept saying. 

She looked down at Inuyasha’s sitting self, holding her own ‘sleeping‘ form. Her thoughts had not been wrong. She had become separate from her body, and she was in reality this time, not an illusion. Thank the Gods for that guess. Now, if only she could find a way to communicate with Inuyasha!

Kagome floated above a tree limb, as if she was sitting on it. She concentrated hard, and thought of only a few things: What if she tried using his immobile body, when he was sleeping. His mind wouldn’t be in control of his body when he’s sleeping; it’s in its own sleeping subconscious state. No, because then he wouldn’t know she had used his body, which would probably make him really angry. And the others…Shippo might believe him, so might Miroku and Kirara, but…maybe not Sango. She was too realistic for this. What if she sent some of my priestess energy to Miroku! Yeah, that would work! Except… how would she do that? She doesn’t even know how to shield herself with it, let alone release some of her energy without a physical body or even a tangible object to send it through. What if…no that wouldn’t work, would it?

She turned around again to look at Inuyasha. Kaede had said that the prayer beads were always connected to her voice command, unless taken off of the bearer by the commander. Did it matter that she was the only one who could hear her voice? 

She thought about it, and decided to give it a shot. Anything was worth trying at this point. 

Kagome inhaled a deep breathe, and yelled, “SIT BOY!” as loud as she could. 

She saw birds in the distance take off, little animals scurrying into their burrows, but no Inuyasha falling to the ground. At least she knew that the animals could hear her. But did that mean that she was in a higher frequency plain of existence? That meant she could still communicate with everyone…or just the people with sensitive ears. She giggled and twisted in her spot. Then there was movement out of the corner of her eye.

She glanced over at Inuyasha, who was slightly awake. He stuck his pinky finger in his ear and popped it. “What the hell was that?” he said. 

Suddenly, Kagome’s physical mouth started to move in a very familiar pattern…and Inuyasha was hurled head first to the ground. Luckily, he hadn’t taken Kagome’s body with him.

For a second, Inuyasha forgot that Kagome was not awake. He had not realized those were the words she had spoken, let alone open her mouth. 

He jumped back up to his branch and yelled, “Goddamnit, wench! Why did ya have to g-” he was cut short, amazed at the fact that she had said that. “Oh, my god! Kagome, Kagome!! Talk to me more. Sit me more, yell at me, just keep talking!”

Kagome could not stop laughing. She was so happy that it had worked, and the look on Inuyasha’s when he new she had been trying to reach him just now was priceless.

“INUYASHA! CAN YOU HEAR ME?” she screamed. 

A few minutes later, he stuck his finger in his ear, popped it, and grimaced again. Then, Kagome’s physical lips started moving again, and Inuyasha saw it this time. His fuzzy dog ear went straight to her lips, swiveled toward her, and he heard her barely say, “-You hear me?” At the slight, warm breathe coming from her mouth, his ear twitched, but stayed on her. 

“Yes, yes I hear you!” 

“GOOD! WAIT HEAR A MINUTE!”

His face scrunched up, but he didn’t stick his finger in his ear this time. “Why?!”

“BECAUSE I’M GOING TO GET KIRARA TO GET EVERYONE ELSE TO COME HERE!!”

Yet again, his face scrunched up. He nodded his head and settled under Kagome to bring her down to the forest floor, as if they were standing together. 

The ethereal Kagome felt warm as she was set above him. She felt giddy all of a sudden, and the butterfly feeling leaped into her stomach. 

She went up to Inuyasha, who had laid her body down on the ground, and asked, “CAN YOU FEEL THIS?”

She put her hands on his cheeks, and leaned upward. 

Inuyasha felt a warmth he had never felt before in his cheeks, and it wasn’t a blush. He looked at the tree in front of him. To Kagome, it looked like he was looking straight into her eyes. “yes,” he replied. 

“How about this?” She did not yell it. He did not need to hear it. 

She leaned even further upward, and kissed him. His hand came up and touched his cheek, then slid through Kagome to his lips. His eyes went wide and he gulped. Did he dare think what he thought she was doing?! No, she wouldn’t do that. Its probably just… but there was no explanation waiting for him. He couldn’t accept it though.

Then the warmth left his cheeks, and eventually his lips. She looked at him, but he could not see her. He stared through her still, with wide, unbelieving eyes, at the tree. She turned around, and willed herself to glide as fast as she could to where Kirara and the others were. 

The butterflies had not left yet, and her heart was beating at a fast rate.

Finally, she reached Kirara, who was sitting near a log away from the others cleaning he paw. “KIRARA! THIS IS KAGOME! FOLLOW ME BACK TO MY BODY. PLEASE BRING EVERYONE WITH YOU. THANK YOU!” 

Kirara swapped one paw for the other. When she was done with her paw, Kirara stood up and trotted over to Sango. She then tugged on Sango’s kimono and mewed at her. Kirara started to walk off and then she transformed a few feet away from everyone else. 

“What is it, Kirara?” Sango approached her, and patted her neck. 

“Kirara wants us to go with her somewhere.” Shippo supplied. 

Sango was already up and straddling Kirara. Then Miroku jumped up behind Sango with Shippo dangling on to the ends of his robes. “Houshi, don’t you dare try anything.” she gave a menacing glare at him. 

“You distrust me so much, dear Sango! You should have no fears of such lechery, especially from me.”

Sango huffed at this. Shippo giggled, then scrambled up Miroku’s shoulder to get a better view. 

Kagome led the way to where her physical body and Inuyasha was, yelling at the top of her lungs the whole time, “THIS WAY KIRARA! OVER HERE, KIRARA! WRONG WAY! WE‘RE ALMOST THERE, KIRARA!” 

Kagome set down next to Inuyasha, who was still standing in the very spot she had left him in. Same expression, too. Kirara set down behind Inuyasha, who flinched a bit and advanced on them. “Whadja have to do that for? Don’t sneak up on me like that!!” 

“Sorry,” Sango told Inuyasha, “What’s up his butt?” she asked Miroku. He shrugged. 

Inuyasha whirled around after Sango answered him, and scanned the surrounding area. Then, his eyes caught Kagome, laying on the ground. They stayed on her, and absently, his hand wandered up to his mouth. 

“Inuyasha?” Sango asked.

“What?” he asked calmly, not turning around. His hand fell from his face as he said it. 

“Um…why are we all here?”

“I guess Kagome told you to come…one of you. Probably Shippo.”

“No, it wasn’t me Inuyasha. She told Kirara to bring everyone here.”

“INUYASHA, TELL THEM HOW I COMMUNICATE!!”

Inuyasha was still looking at Kagome’s physical form when she said this. Her lips started moving and he darted over to her, and knelt down. From Sango, Miroku, and Shippo’s point of view, it looked like Inuyasha was kissing Kagome. The looked surprised and Shippo took a few steps backwards, confused at the sudden emotional display. 

“She said for me to tell you how she’s been communicating.” Inuyasha turned to face them, still kneeling over Kagome.

Relief flooded Shippo as he plopped down on the grass. Sango and Miroku relaxed, realizing what had happened. 

“She says she’s on…another plain for existence?! WHAT? Kag- sorry…alright, um, she’s on another plain of existence, in another, higher frequency…um, she can talk to people who have sensitive ears, like me, Shippo, Kirara, and any other keenly-sensed animal/demon, only by yelling though. So don’t make her yell…a lot or you’ll regret it later. I can hear everything you guys are saying, and even though…it may seem weird that you’re talking to thin air, say whatever you want…me to hear. Just make sure you have a friendly demon near you…When I yell, they’ll probably scrunch up their faces and do something…to pop their ears. Something very useful would probably be a bat demon, she says.”

“Whoa…my head hurts.” replied Shippo. 

Miroku was sitting on the ground, rubbing his chin. “Hm. Alright.”

Sango was speechless. 

What in all hell was going to happen now?! Pigs flying?! Sango thought, 'I would bet on it. I could believe anything now.'


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god im probably butchering these definitions
> 
> Houshi- monk, priest  
> Sama- lord, lady  
> Chan- respectful title for female friends  
> Kun- respectful title for male friends  
> Onii-san- elder brother  
> Inu- dog  
> Kitsune- fox  
> Taijiya- demon-slayer  
> Youkii- a youkai‘s territorial marking (sp?)  
> Youkai- full demon  
> Hanyou- half demon

“So, my little friend, what shall we eat next? This sweet, succulent looking human child? Or the tender horse?” a devilish looking demon asked a ravenous (and large) imp. The demon looked down at his companion, then switched his gaze to the child on the ground at his feet.

“The horse of course!! I call the dark meat!” replied the imp, drool spilling out of his mouth, as he ran towards the ‘rewards’ they had ‘collected’ from the village over yonder. The horse bucked wildly and ran around the post it was tied to.

The child in the small bundle of cloth was bawling like a banshee in the midst of summer. It was thirsty, the demon knew. He bent down to the baby, and slit his wrist. He gave it to the baby, which the suckled at the gurgling white blood and wrinkled skin. The imp looked up from his feasting and giggled to himself when he saw the sight. He glanced at the horse remains, and started drooling all over again. He went back to scraping the meat off of the rib bones. The demon with the baby slithered his tongue along the baby’s mouth, tasting his own blood, and purred. He moved his attention to the eyes that were turning a deep orange, his tongue spiked out and the eye popped out of its socket. The baby bawled twice as hard now, scrabbling at its eye.

“Oh, don’t torture it, Yukitani. That’s always been my job anyway!” the imp whimpered.

“Fine. But instead of rebirthing it….this eyeball was rather tasty, so I think I might eat the whole thing.” Yukitana replied.

“May I have a taste?”

“No, no unless you want to be rebirthed. Actually…you wouldn’t make a bad one…” Yukitani thoughtfully said. He rubbed his chin, as he thought of how good Heratutani would be as one of us.

Heratutani was an imp from an island somewhere to the east of Japan. It was an island he liked to call Hawaii. It was an island inhabited of imps. Imps of all sizes, not just the small ones like here in Japan. The island was part of a chain of islands. Some imps, born near the water, the beach, the forest, or the volcanoes, adapted to the environment around them. Heratutani just happened to be one born of , well, nothing. He was born on a merchant ship, his mother trapped in a cage the humans had caught her in, and died in his conception. Heratutani was tortured when he was born, and underfed. In his raising, He was forced to fight in cock fights. He repaid the hospitality of the merchants, the same way they did him in. So, naturally, Heratutani tortured what he ate, for example the horse. He ate the horse ALIVE.

Yukitani snickered to himself at the thought. What a great partner. With him tagging along and all, this was going to be fun.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kagome sat down next to Inuyasha on his tree limb. She thought to herself that it was nice, being able to think out loud and have no one hear her. She could ask question to Inuyasha, or Sango that she could never ask out loud. Perhaps they could answer, but Kagome just couldn’t bring herself to ask them.

A new development had appeared in Kagome’s structure; physically and mentally.

On her body, a tattoo was beginning to form along her right arm. The tattoo snaked up from her fingertips to her elbow, one twisting, sharp strand of black. It was foreboding, and Sango and Miroku had placed Wards on her skin, to prevent the formation. During times of fighting, when Kagome’s life was in danger, the Wards’ powers seemed to be seeping away from their controlled environments (which were twigs, headbands, papers, etc). And as the power was seeping away in these times, the tattoo on Kagome’s arm seemed to thicken and grow, and off of a glance, seemed to glow a deep red. But the glow disappeared and the tattoo seemed just as small as it had before when looked at intently. On her mental body, she began to develop new sights.

Except, they weren’t sights you perceive with your eyes. More with your mind. Kagome had begun to catch glimpses of people’s own mental bodies, their own thoughts. However, unbeknownst to them, she watched with sly intent. She didn’t know when it had happened, but she did not mind the telepathy one bit. It was a chance to read Inuyasha’s, Sango’s, Kirara’s, Miroku’s, and Shippo’s minds! Who wouldn’t pass up a chance to read their minds. Yes, she knew so much about them, but here was a chance to learn even more, and learn what they feel towards each other. It was a freaking chance in a lifetime, who wouldn’t take it?!

Kagome had noticed Sango’s mental body floating above her physical body, attached with a chain. It looked almost like a leash, holding back the mind from wandering off. If it was a leash, Kagome felt bad for Sango. For Sango did not let herself think to much, or dwell on facts. The chain was wrapped around the wrists, ankles, and throat of her mental body… Now, compared to Miroku, whose chains barely wrapped around his waist and fingers, she was a very stiff woman. But that was because Miroku was a monk, a spiritual man. He had to keep an open mind about everything, but constrict himself from the tainted and gleam of want. Except, he had a hard time containing himself… Sango was only trained in the knowledge/art of slaying demons, weapon making, skinning, and surviving. That required remembrance, not an open mind. Inuyasha…he was something different all together. He had three personas…. One, his hanyou body, another, his human body, and the other, his demon body. His human body and demon body both slept however. In times of vulnerability, Kagome noticed, his human body and demon body would waken, only half way however. His demon body strengthened his claws and speed, while his human body kept him as himself. It kept him sane. But only his hanyou and human bodies were chained to him, by the hearts. The demon body looked as if it was free to roam. But then again, it looked not even visible, hidden in chains.

Kagome had been in her mental body for about a week now. Her physical body was protected, but very open to attack, because she had no defense of her own. So the group had to cut down on their fighters to protect Kagome’s body. Out of 5, that meant that only 3 were allowed to fight.

She looked up at the moon, heavy in the sky. It was almost the end of the month. A beautiful white light shone over the land, and through the leaves of the tree, scattering the light upon Inuyasha’s sleeping form. The fire had almost died, and Kagome guessed it was a little bit past midnight. She checked her watch she had brought with her. It was 12:13 am. She grinned to herself; she’d gotten better at telling the time, thanks to her many days in the feudal era. She thought about how long she’d been with everyone here, how long they’d been fighting Naraku, how long they’ve searched Japan for the Jewel shards. Her smile faded into a contemplative frown. She wondered how much longer it would take to finally defeat Naraku and bring the Sacred Jewel together.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha, sleeping peacefully, his head resting against the trunk,. She asked him again, “What’s going to happen to you if-”

“Kagome.” he interrupted. His ears twitched and his eyes slid open slowly. They stayed only a slit. The gold in his pupils seemed to stare right through her, rooting her to that spot. He knew she was there, exactly where she was sitting. His mind’s bodies stirred in the air next to him. The moonlight through the trees made his eyes glow more than they generally did.

“Yes?” she asked, even though she knew he could not hear her.

His ears twitched again and he scratched his nose. “Why do you stay with me?”

“Because…I like being with you guys.”

“That’s not it and you know it.”

‘Did….did he just….did he just TALK BACK to me?!’ Kagome thought.

“Um, how can you hear me?!” she asked frantically. In her mind things were rushing in on her so fast, she had trouble gathering her thoughts and thinking straight. Had he heard what she’d been asking him every day?

“I don’t know. But I can hear you. And its good to know your still with us.”

Kagome knew this was one of those moments where he spoke what he felt, where he wouldn’t snap as much. What was he going to say though?

‘Turns out he doesn’t have anything else to say’ she thought as she glared at him. ‘Way to get my hopes up, jeez.’

She looked at her watch again. Twenty minutes had gone by since he said anything. His eyes were closed again, and his breathing soft. Was he really asleep? Kagome crawled up to him and looked closely at him.

“…Oi, wench can I have some room to BREATH!?” he snapped at her.

How the FUCK DID HE KNOW!!

“Oh, sorry, I was seeing of you were asleep! STOP biting my head off! Seems like you can‘t stop doing that even when you can‘t see me!” she yelled back.  
“STOP SCREAMING!!!” he covered his ears and closed his eyes, trying out block out the sounds.

“NO. AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” she screamed as loud and as long as she could. When she was done, she gulped for breath, as if she needed it.

“You BIIIITTTCCCHHH,” he swore as he fell out of the tree onto his head, hands still covering his ears. He toppled over and cried into the ground that that was worse than being sat.

“SIT.”

“AHHH, I take that back!” he cried drowsily into the ground again.

Miroku and Sango had jumped out of their sleeping bags and were ready for the attack, but saw Inuyasha lying on the ground, sighed and went back to their bags. Miroku stirred again, and poked at the fire. It started up again after a few minutes, and he threw some logs on the fire.

“Kagome, I swear, if you do something like that EVER-”

“INUYASHA, SHUT UP.” Sango yelled at him. She gave him a threatening glare that promised pain if he didn’t comply. He jumped back and leapt into his tree, hugging it to death. She could be really scary when she got angry.

Kagome was slowly floating to the ground, laughing so hard she had to wipe tears away from her eyes, holding her stomach.

Inuyasha looked down at where he heard the laughing and glared, still hugging the tree.

Miroku, however, was watching Kagome’s physical body. Her body flinched many times, as if seizing, but not quite. Her face was flinched also, but it looked like she was holding back bursts of laughter. “Inuyasha,” he said, still looking at her body, “what is Kagome doing right now?”

“She’s being a bitch, that’s what she’s doing!”

“Inuyasha!” Miroku said sharply.

“She’s laughing at me, okay!” he huffed and laid down on his branch.

“So, that’s what she’s doing…” he said aloud. Kagome has stopped flinching, but her face had a small, very slight smile on it. The tattoo on her arm seemed so shriveled and helpless in her happiness, he noticed. ‘How strange…I wonder what it means…’ he thought. He laid down again in his sleeping bad, put his hands behind his head, and wondered about it to the sky.

Shippo had barely raised his head during the whole episode. He was snoring quietly on Kagome’s backpack. Kirara stayed near her master, ready to pounce on whatever came her way, but dropped back down to the ground when she saw what had made all the sounds.

The woods around them had quieted drastically. There were no more chirping crickets, no grass blade rubbing against grass blade in the wind, no animal’s scurrying in the night.

There was still the moon, however. Its light still shone through the tree leaves, scattering the light once more on Inuyasha’s body.

She smiled at him.

Her thoughts would make him happy, if only he could see them like she could see his.

All was quiet still. The fire was going steady, and everyone was mostly sleeping soundly. Kagome laid down in her body and tried to sleep, even though she couldn’t use sleep in any way as she was right now. Inuyasha was staring into the moon, thinking about whatever he thought about at night when everyone else was sleeping. Personal thoughts. But Kagome could see them in his mental hanyou body. She needed to think by herself too, but she looked at his mind anyway. The hanyou body was thinking of her. And the well. And Sango and Miroku and the Jewel what’ll happen to them once everything is done. Tears went down his hanyou body as he pictured Kagome jumping down the well and coming back…

Kagome contemplated the matter herself. What would she do? If she stayed, she’d be with Inuyasha and the others. Shippo considered her his mother, Sango her sister, and Miroku….something. She giggled at that. But then again, she’d not be able to see her family, or her friends, or finish school. What about her little brother Souta, or her mom, or Yuki and Eri and Houjo? If she decided to stay, Inuyasha would obviously want her to stay with him, and destroy the well, him being his brash self and all. If she decided to go, it would break her heart to leave them all. Why couldn’t she live both lives, and not have it be so complicated?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Houshi- monk, priest  
> Sama- lord, lady  
> Chan- umm……I think this is just a formal name given to people that other’s respect  
> Oba- elder brother  
> Inu- dog  
> Kitsune- fox  
> Taijiya- demon-slayer  
> Youkii- a youkai‘s territorial marking (sp?)  
> Youkai- full demon  
> Hanyou- half demon  
> Fuzenakki- imperfect, sinful, evil demon   
> Daiki- noble, valiant, great   
> Omoi- mind, heavy, thought, massive

“Ahh, what a nice day. I wish we could stay here for a couple more days.” Sango announced. 

The group had been traveling for a couple days now, and they had stopped and spent the night at a lake. It was a beautiful spot. The lake was clear and cleansing, warm and sandy. The sun had shined throughout the whole day, bathing the camp in its warmth. Sango had used the time she had to clean and mend Hiraikotsu, soak in the water in one of Kagome’s swimsuits she found in the backpack, and soap up Kirara so that she didn’t stink so much. Miroku tried to join her in the water, but she slapped him back out. He had to wait until his face wasn’t swelled to the point where he couldn’t see to get into the water, which, to Sango’s delight, was plenty of time for her to do the things she needed to do. After he was done in the lake, he started to polish his staff. He even washed his clothes! Inuyasha, on the other hand, patrolled the area constantly, killing all demons that he came across. By the time dusk came, Inuyasha was full of blood and guts, and the stench overflowing everyone’s nostrils was so overwhelming that they had to ask Kagome to sit him, and they dragged him into the river. They figured he had no choice then, to wash his clothes and body off. They were right. Although, Kagome did have to persuade him to do it, and the others had no idea she had to coax him. 

Inuyasha was in the water, sitting down while Sango scrubbed his hair with Kagome’s shampoo and conditioner. 

“Sango, that shit stinks!! I can barely breath!” Inuyasha whined as he wiped soap from his eyes and mouth. 

“Well, it’s not my fault you have a supersensitive nose, is it?” she smartly replied. 

“Keh…” 

Sango chuckled and told him, “Okay, I’m done scrubbing. Dip your head into the water and wash it out. And I hope, Inuyasha, that you can wash you body yourself, without having to ask me for help?” 

“Shut up! Of course I can!” Inuyasha growled at her. 

Inuyasha ducked under and scrubbed out all the soap. He stood back up and shook his wet body. Behind him, Sango and Miroku were laughing so hard they fell to the ground. Inuyasha growled, and mumbled something at Kagome’s body. 

She had to told him to put on the swim trunks in her backpack, and he did, because Sango had stripped him of his clothes and dignity when she threatened to have Kagome sit him. So he hid behind a tree, undressed, and threw his clothes at Sango. Kagome, all the while, was floating above the tree, blushing furiously at his naked form. She peeked some of the time, but was too embarrassed to do anything more. Sango then had thrown him the backpack, and, as he dug in there for the shorts, he tossed out the familiar bottles that smelled so much of Kagome. 

The swim trunks? He eventually found those. Finding the tag, which had ‘Souta’ written on it, he put them on…only to find out that they were SUPER short, like they barely even went past his mid thigh. To make it worse, they had little Hot Wheels trucks on them with flames all over. He groaned and cursed at Kagome, but he moved from behind the tree anyway because Sango refused to give him back even his hakama. AND they were on backwards, though he did not know this. 

~~~~~~~ 

“KAGGOOMMEEEEE!” Souta yelled to the ceiling as he searched frantically for his swim trunks. He was supposed to go to the beach today!! 

“Mom!! Kagome took my swim trunks with her!!” he cried to Mrs. Higurashi. 

“Souta, I thought we bought you another pair?” 

“That was the new pair. The old pair got ripped when she brought them over for that Shippo kid to wear, and since he has a tail, she had to cut a hole in them!!” 

“Oh, I'm so sorry Souta. Here, you can use your father’s old boxers.” 

“Moooooooommm!!! I cant wear those!” 

“Why not, dear?” 

“They have a hole in the front!” 

“Oh, Souta, that is supposed to be there,” she chuckled. 

~~~~~~~ 

Miroku threw the body wash to Inuyasha. As the bottle was flying towards him, Inuyasha stepped forward, as the pass was short, and when he caught it, he fell forward, the bottle slipped out of his grip, hit the water and bobbed back into his face. 

Miroku, who had watched the affair go on with mild interest, stalked off into the woods. He needed to think about some things. 

Many a time he had walked through the woods as he did now, but never before had he been so acutely aware of the facts that surrounded him in his hypothesizing. He did not notice the beauty of the aged trees. He did not notice the small, trickling stream he walked across. He did not notice the birds, animals, and all other life that were busy with their happy lives. 

He did notice, however, the questions floating above and around his head, the facts surrounding Kagome’s heart and soul, the uncertainty engulfing why she was separated, and how to get her back in her body. 

He sat down in the crook of some tree roots, closed his eyes, and thought. 

Kagome’s body was still obviously connected with her mind. And if her body was connected with her mind, then obviously they could be put back together. 

That’s the general idea. 

But that’s also the problem. 

It’s not as easy as it seems. It’s not like making mud with water and dirt. This is a mind pulled out of its body. The complications are way more…complicated. The mind is out of the body, the soul is there in the body, but it can’t act on it’s own. But, before, when Kagome’s mind told Inuyasha to sit, the body’s lips moved. And when Kagome’s mind was laughing when Inuyasha fell out of the tree, her body had shook, just slightly. Why wasn’t this simpler? Miroku knew that there were things missing from the equation. But where were the complications? What would happen if the were forced together? 

Suddenly, Sango sat down next to him. 

“Your thinking about Kagome, aren’t you?” 

“Yes.” 

“And?” 

“Well, so far…nothing.” 

“Hmm…” Sango sighed. “Miroku, how old is the curse? Its obviously a dangerous one…but if its an ancient one, then its destined to be powerful.” 

“This is true, but only for those few curses and spells that were created by great monks and priestesses who had sacrificed their lives for knowledge of the dark magics. These curses and spells would be bound to an object, their power sealed off and hindered. Throughout time, then, there is only two options for that power. Either it grows in time, from the minorital use, or it weakens, for the same reason. At times, the curse would slowly find weak points in the object it was sealed into or onto, and seep away its power, until the curse had more power than the sealer and would break away.” 

“Miroku, how old is the curse!” 

“I hate to admit it, but…I don’t know.” 

“Ugh!” Sango grabbed her head and shook it. None of this made sense to her. 

When Sango was little, her father had told her three things she must study: technique, weapon smithing, and spells. 

Sango had done more than enough studying of technique and smithing, but she barely even touched the scrolls. She looked at them many times, sometimes skimmed over them, but that’s the most she’d ever done. When her father had tested her on all her skills, to pass the test allowing her into the Demon Hunters group. She had failed the first time, only because she had not read the scrolls. The second time was not much better, but she had passed. The scrolls were so confusing! They used big words, used for intelligent people to read. Yes, Sango was smart, but not book smart. She was street smart. And Sango knew this. Suddenly, Sango remembered something her father had told her about the scrolls…and their maker. 

“Miroku…” 

“Yes?” 

“I think I know someone who can help us.” 

“Who?” 

“He was the village scribe. He was very wise, and very intelligent. He wrote all the scrolls in our library! He knew all the spells, powerful, old, new, effective, all of them. He may be able to help us.” 

“Sango, are you positive he is still alive?” 

“Oh yes. He is, in fact, a half demon. He has learned a lot throughout his years, and I am sure he has even a small awareness of this curse. He’s got to.” 

“And his name?” 

“Fuzenakki Daiki. He’s an omoi hanyou. A half demon that knows how to access every part of his brain. A mindful demon. Kagome told me that humans only can use 10% of their brains, and as they grow older, they use their brains less. Daiki-sensei taught us how to access our sixth sense, and use the others more accurately. He taught us anything we thought we could use to our advantage, and because he had so much knowledge of spells and curses, he became our scribe.” 

“Yes, we should go find him immediately.” Miroku grabbed her hand, and kissed it. 

Surprisingly, Sango let him do it. Probably because no one was around. 

She blushed and looked the other way, pulling her hand away slowly, but fast enough the kiss wouldn’t be very long. No where even near two seconds! 

“Now, to tell Inuyasha…” Miroku huffed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer (I think): I will be using exact words from the Malleus Maleficarum (MM) website, and my own character Daiki will be portrayed as the…author, we’ll say, of the Malleus Maleficarum. The MM is a real document on the internet, and it is also two volumes of books. I have only used sections of the document for use in this fan fiction. Therefore, I own nothing pertaining to the Malleus Maleficarum; I only have borrowed information directly from the site. One site was www.wikipedia.org , and the other site was www.malleusmaleficarum.org . I also used information on PVS bodies from a PDF formatted site on xenotransplantation. I do not have the website address for this particular subject. But all the information on the MM and PVS is accurate. Here’s another website that has much more information than I have about its history (very detailed) so check it out: www.controverscial.com/Malleus%20Maleficarium.htm . Its got some stuff on the Formicarius by Johannes Nider too.

“This Fuzenakki Daiki guy, he’s a half demon, like Inuyasha?” Shippo asked. 

“Yes, Shippo. He used to be part of our village.” Sango replied.

“Ha, and I thought you used to hate demons!” Inuyasha said. 

“Well, Naraku was kinda making you out to be a bad demon, remember? But, no, we weren’t discriminatory to all demons.” 

Inuyasha did his trademark ‘keh,’ crossed his arms and jumped up to a tree branch. 

“Hey, come back here! I still have important things to tell you!” Sango screamed at him. 

“Calm down, I have ‘supersensitive’ ears, remember?” Inuyasha sarcastically replied. He referred back to when they made him take a bath EVERY NIGHT. It made him shiver over and over again just thinking about it… 

Sango sizzled when he mocked her. 

“My dear Sango is it that time of the month?” the monk asked. 

“If it was, you’d know NOT to ask that!” 

The houshi put up his hands in defense, and backed away cautiously. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~ Present Times- World History Class- 10th Grade ~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

“Many centuries ago, there was a time when witchcraft, magic, devils, and demons walked among us freely…” the history teacher, Mr. Takayama, began. 

The class started to laugh. 

“Seriously, now. Turn to page 537 in your book, and we will begin in the 15th Century. There are no direct passages of any of the books described in these lessons, so don’t look forward to any. Here, we start on the witch hunts of Salem in America,” Mr. Takayama announced. 

Half way through the lesson, the history teacher said that he had some information, not in the textbook, about how the witches were condemned, of what manner, and how to determine whether a woman was a witch or not. “I have looked into this deeply, and this volume I hold right now tells everything anyone needs to know about witches. It is a very religious book born of Christian minds, but not widely accepted, because it talks of bewitchments, magic, selling of souls to the devil, and pacts between the devil, god, witches, demons, and humans. Do remember, however, that Christianity is a monotheistic religion. The 15th Century, was a time of religious turmoil and misogyny, so don’t take this to heart. Okay, this book was made by Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger in 1486, published in Germany the next year. In 1490 the book was banned by the Catholic church, but the book still became the de-facto handbook-” 

“De-facto?” a student asked. 

“De-facto is another word for actual or effective. As I was saying, it became the actual handbook for the witch-hunters and inquisitors throughout medieval Europe. It was only published 13 times in between 1487 and 1520. Through 1574 to 1669, it was published 16 more times. Kramer had faked a University endorsement, so it looked approved by Pope Innocent VIII, and was then accepted by the church. The printing press by Johannes Gutenberg also upped the popularity of the book, due to the increased production rate. Now, Kramer and Sprenger were members of the Dominican Order and inquisitors for the Catholic church. They submitted the book into the University of Colognes’ Faculty of Theology on May 9, 1487, looking for an endorsement, but the Faculty called it unethical and illegal. And the purpose of the book was to challenge all arguments against the existence of witchcraft and to instruct magistrates on how to identify, interrogate, and convict witches. It asserts that three elements are needed for witchcraft: the evil-intentioned witch, the help of the devil, and the permission of God. 

“The volume is divided up into three sections. The first section counters critics who denied the realty of witchcraft, thereby deterring its prosecution. The second describes the actual forms of witchcraft and its remedies. The third section is to assist judges confronting and combating witchcraft. Each of these sections has the now-established themes of what is witchcraft and who is a witch. Its basic themes include infanticide, cannibalism, casting evil spells to harm their enemies, and having the power to steal men’s penises. But this book is far from original. It relied a great deal on earlier works from Visconti, Torquemada, and, more widely known, Johannes Nider’s Formicarius. It was profoundly influenced by humanistic ideologies and the philosophical doctrines of Neo-Platonism. It often refers to the Bible and Aristotelian thought, and mentions astrology and astronomy, which had recently been reintroduced to the West by ancient works or Pythagoras. Now to explain the sections… 

“Section one,” he continued, “argues that because the devil exists and has the power to do astonishing things, witches exist to help, if doe through the aid of the devil and the permission of God. ‘It was believed that women were more sexual than men’-” 

“I‘d say!” a boy yelled in the back. The class burst out in fits of giggles and laughter. 

“Alright, that’s enough. Let me continue…where was I…” 

“You were talking about how more sexual women were than men,” Hojo supplied. 

“Ah, yes. Thank you. ‘Loose women had sex with the devil, thus paving their way to become witches. To quote the book ‘all witchcraft comes from carnal lust, which is in women insatiable.’ That’s the exact description of the first section. The second section explains the ‘matters of practice by discussing actual cases. It first talks about the power of witches, and then goes into recruitment strategies. It is mostly witches as opposed to the devil who do the recruiting, by making something go wrong in the life of a respectable matron that makes her consult the knowledge of a witch, or by introducing young maidens to tempting young devils.’ Now, this suggests that there is more than one Devil. I have not found any records on there being multiple devils. In all religions, there is only one devil, and then his underlings. Back to the section, ‘this sections also details how witches cast spells and remedies that can be taken to prevent witchcraft or help those that have been affected by it.’ 

“The third section holds more of a judicial stand than the rest of the book. It ‘describes how to prosecute a witch. The arguments are clearly laid for the lay magistrates prosecuting witches. Institoris and Sprenger offer a step-by-step guide to the conduct of a witch trial, from the method of initiating the process and assembling accusations, to the interrogation,’ and here I will make a point that torture was a legal step in the prosecution of a witch and in some cases, the witnesses, ‘and the formal charging of the accused. Women who did not cry during their trial were automatically believed to be witches.” 

There was silence in the room. No one moved. No one made a sound. “…what do you think of all this?” Mr. Takayama asked the class. 

“It’s….interesting to say the least. But there’s so much more to be studied and looked into…” Hojo lightly announced his feelings about it. 

Mr. Takayama looked at each student. “Eri? Any comments? Or how about you Terri, Shizuka? Daisuke?” he turned to the smart kids for referencing. 

Eri shook her head, “It’s a lot to take in. Not many people would look into this stuff, because it’s so foreign to what we know now. And a lot of people wouldn’t understand it. But I don’t know…” 

Shizuka shrugged and replied, “This stuff is weird,” and looked back out the window. 

Terri said, “She’s right. It is weird…really weird. But so many people don’t know how the old days used to work. It’s a good look into the thoughts of that age. And I know a lot of people don’t touch this type of stuff for the fear of being laughed at, or called emo or goth or something especially when that person could be the complete opposite. People could be very interested in this, but are just afraid to find out more because of public persecution. Anyway, I’m going off on a tangent here. Me? I think it is very remarkable, and I would definitely look into it.” 

“I agree with Terri and Hojo,” is all Daisuke said on the matter. 

“Is that all, class? No more comments or questions? This book is something unique, I’d say.” 

“But, um, Mr. Takayama, what IS the book?” Yumi asked. 

“Oh right, yes. The book has many names. Some are Hexenhammer, in German, the Malleus Maleficarum in Latin, which translates into its most common name: The Hammer of Witches. Well, most usually it is called The Witch’s Hammer.” 

“Just ‘The Witch’s Hammer’? No ‘The Wizard’s Hammer’? Doesn’t that imply that there can’t be…wizards who would do the same thing a witch does?” Shizuka sat up in her seat. 

“Well, don’t forget that at that time, women sold themselves to men for money, became calling girls. So, again, at that time, it was suitable to say that men couldn’t do such a thing. I have a bits and pieces of copied pages from the book with me…I believe one of these pages contains information why it’s called ‘The Malleus Maleficarum’.” He shuffled around some papers on his desk and looked through the drawers. 

“Uh…Mr. Takayama, its ok we don’t ne-” 

“Found ‘em!” he sprung back up from the bottom drawer of his desk, holding up some papers. 

“Ok…a lot of it is based on misogyny.” 

“Which is…” Shizuka asked. 

“The hatred or contempt of women.” 

“Oh, that’s just lovely.” 

“Yes, well....Now, before I say anything else, I must protect myself and the other guys in this room. Neither they nor I are insinuating that women are a weaker sex. I am just explaining why the book is mostly directed towards females. So girls, try not to get to offended by what I’m saying. Do remember this is a book from the 15th Century. The Malleus singled out women as specifically inclined for witchcraft because they were susceptible to demonic temptations through their many weaknesses,” the teacher glanced around the room, carefully keeping an eye on the girls who had tempers… “They were weaker in faith and were more carnal than men. Most women had strong personalities and were known to defy convention by overstepping the lines of proper female etiquette. The actual title, ‘The Malleus Maleficarum’ is feminine, giving way to the idea that women were the bad ones. If it had been spelled M-a-l-e-f-I-c-o-r-u-m, which is its masculine form, it would mean that the witch could have been of either sex. Unfortunately it’s Maleficarum,” he finished with a sigh. 

He looked around the room again. ALL of the GIRLS were fuming. The desks had cracks in them. Pencils chopped in half were strewn across the floor. Notebooks were wrung in white-knuckled hands. I could even say that steam was visible coming out of the girl’s ears and red faces. Gods…they were pissed… 

~~~~~~~~~~~~Sengoku Period- Daiki Residence~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The pack stood in front of Fuzenakki Daiki’s door. His hut stood in the middle of a forest. 

“Daiki-sensei is a mindful demon, don’t forget. His house may look simple, but inside it is a unique scene. He knows more than anyone else does in the world. Living or not. Don’t talk too much; he will do most of it. Actually, he kind of reminds me of the way you talk, Kagome…” Sango announced. 

They opened the door and walked in. As they made their entrance, a sudden feeling of tranquility flooded their senses, and a slight shimmering was seen as each passed through the door. The room looked as if it belonged to an oracle. 

A strong smell of incense hung in the air coming supposedly from the fire burning in a great fireplace across the large, circular room. Candles burned here and there, causing a small flicker of light in the deepest shadows in the hut. Glass bottles of every shape and color imaginable hung from sinew from the ceilings. Giant wooden bowls of fruit and pastes lay strewn across the floor. Rugs and furs of every animal covered the ground while wooden poles held up the falling grass-and-sod ceiling. A giant being sat huddled in a corner. 

“Sango. I remember you quite well in your younger years. I see you have grown older, stronger, and wiser,” he said in a deep, rumbling voice. 

“Hello, Daiki Sensei, thank you. These are my friends, Inuyasha, Miroku, Shippo, and the one in Inuyasha’s arms is Kag-” 

“Kagome,” he finished, “I know who she is. She is a reincarnated priestess from the future. She is a very strong girl, who cares very deeply for others, with a strong sense of justice. I have heard of her, yes. She is legendary universally. The woods speak of her, and the wind praises her. The earth is proud of her and the wild waters fear her. The world of now knows she is not one to be trifled with.” 

“Yeah, and who helped all that happen!” Inuyasha jabbed his thumb at his chest. 

He laughed thunderously, “My young man, I have heard of you also. Your father was the Inu no Taishou and your mother was a human. You ran rampant throughout Japan with no purpose but to destroy and conquer. Then, you found her,” he pointed at Kagome, “sire, and fell in love. She bound you to the Goshinboku for fifty years, where Kagome first met you and awoke you. You then tried to kill her but later have taught her many things, just as she has taught you more. You are her teacher and friend, protector and lo-” 

“Okay, yeah, I know what I am,” Inuyasha cut him off. 

“Miroku, the monk. Shippo the kitsune. Welcome,” Daiki Sensei opened his arms to them. 

Drinks were set on a table in front of him and the troupe set their selves around it while Inuyasha carefully laid Kagome’s body on a bed in the corner. 

Daiki Sensei shuffled in his seat. “The victim needs a cure, the accused needs a trial, and the witnesses need a miracle.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I used the information in the MM to my advantage, so not everything I wrote pertaining to the MM is spot on. Just keep that in mind.

“Yes sir. Do you know how I can get back into my body?” Kagome asked while Inuyasha spoke for her.

“I do. It is a long process, over which time you will experience things no being has ever experienced. There will be pain and agony, misery and sadness. Do not trouble yourself; you are a strong woman, and have great friends to help and guide you.”

Some misinformation has been given to you. What the monk has said is not true. You do not have a limited amount of time. You do not have to take a potion. You have unlimited time. Nevertheless, your soul will begin to deteriorate as soon as the mark begins to spread. However, there is only one thing that could make that happen.” Daiki Sensei replied.

“Those that counteract the pain and misery would be true happiness and laughter. The true happiness can only be experienced in certain times. Those times of which I speak, I have limited knowledge. However, I am sure you will find them out in due time. Moreover, laughter, for you, comes often, fortunately. The mark will stay small as long as there is an almost constant state of mirth proceeding. The mark will grow when there is pain in any of the group, when tears are shed, when combating with enemies or each other for practice. Those are a few of the many downfalls and upsurges of the mark. During any of these upsurges, the mark will grow exponentially.”

“Ok, so how again does she get back into her body?” Inuyasha snapped.

“Calm down, hanyou. Let him finish, he’s just telling us the basics. Please continue, Daiki Sensei,” the houshi told him.

Inuyasha grumbled in the corner at Miroku’s comment.

“Humans cannot gain happiness through war or savagery, but they gain it through peace and civility. Since our world cannot be without war, this comes just short of impossible. Kagome cannot return to her body unless peace and civility reign in the world. It is necessary for peace to govern. Her time and our time are still in the same world, and as she is connected to both, both affect her. Whether there is peace in one, and war another, the war in the other will still affect her. There are rules that you must follow however. If Kagome is in the world with the only or most fighting for too long, the mark will entirely cover an extremity. Every little bit of hostility counts as a decimeter in growth. Mind you, this mark is affected on a worldwide scale. The worst thing that could possibly happen would be for Kagome to be in the middle of a struggle for power or wealth or vengeance while the same battle rages on in the other time. Never must you let it happen.”

The group contemplated what he said. Because they were constantly at war with Naraku and his minions, Kagome could never be with them. And both of the times she was connected to were too dangerous, no matter what time she was in. So, in order to save Kagome’s life, she would not be allowed to stay with them?

Suddenly, Inuyasha spoke, “Before, you said that the world being without war just came short of impossible…that means there’s another alternative!” He twisted his head around to stare at Kagome’s body.

He looked at her body slowly, and turned around to face Daiki Sensei. “What is it? What’s the other alternative.”

Daiki Sensei did not answer right away. He looked into the fire and his face curved into a grim look.

“The other alternative was to have Kagome’s soul touched by the one who deserves to touch it, while her mind experiences true happiness by the same mind who wants to give her true happiness. Those are the complications of this alternative. Her body only has to float in a lake of pure water, unclothed and unharmed. She must be free from anything constricting her movements, clogging her pores, binding her hair or feet or hands, or anything like such. The person who can provide her with these things must have his or her soul and mind separated from their body, just as Kagome’s was. The individual must have complete focus and determination on the sole purpose of replacing her soul and mind into her body. Then this person will be pulled automatically back into their own body once true happiness is achieved. Also, you have all the time in the world for this. It is crucial that it gets done in a short amount of time. No more than a week.”

Sango and Miroku shared a look, knowing what the other was thinking, then looked at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha stared at the ground. Sango and Miroku couldn’t tell if he knew what he had to do, what this meant for him. Should they tell him?

Kagome, as her body shivered slightly, looked on at the group and Daiki Sensei. She floated over to him and roamed his mind.

Kagome quickly found that it was empty. His three mental bodies sat exactly the way he did, relaying no thoughts between each other. His youkai body looked partially the same as his hanyou body, but with more scars. She wondered why this was. His human body looked so.…human. He had a very thin, very scrawny body, with light brown hair and green eyes. No chains were connecting any of his mental bodies to his real body.

This amazed Kagome. She had never seen a person who was as completely free as Fuzenakki Daiki.

Kagome shook her head to clear her mind, even though she was the complete form of her mind.…just habit, she guessed. She refocused on the matter at hand.

Kagome had no idea how she would achieve true happiness…who could want to give her true happiness, anyway? Unless he…No. Yes. Maybe. She didn’t know!

Who knows what he would do! He’s Inuyasha!

But Kagome looked at him, looked at his mental physiques. They all were silent. No movements, barely breathing, just…there. What was he feeling?

She looked at Sango and Miroku, and both of their personas were reaching for each other, grabbing at the air, trying to enact what their bodies were thinking. Ew. She grimaced at their minds. Their physical bodies were stock still, fists clenched, and slightly sweating. They really didn’t know what the other felt, did they?

She looked at Shippo, he was partially asleep, though valiantly trying to stay awake, for the sake of knowing how to save Kagome. His mental body showed Kagome that he imagined himself chasing Kirara’s tail, but saving Kagome at the same time. ‘How sweet,’ she thought. She smiled at him.

Her smile faded as Daiki Sensei began to talk again, and the group released their thoughts and returned their eyes to his mouth.

“Because one such person will not show their self, she may be consumed by the tattoo out of sheer loneliness and regret. Eventually, the same will happen to her true bringer, though not separate from their body.”

Inuyasha’s eyes shifted downward again, and no one noticed except for Kagome. She gazed at his personas.

His youkai body was growling softly, scratching at the air in front of him, trying to move forward or something, Kagome couldn’t tell, while his human body sat with his head in his hands looked ready to cry. His hanyou body was doing so many things at once. ‘Inuyasha has so many conflicting feelings,’ Kagome thought, ‘I never knew. I don’t think anyone knew. Not even Kikyo…Why would he want to keep it all in like he does?’ Kagome continued to watch his hanyou body, which was prancing through the air as joyous as he had ever been, but then stopping suddenly and staring off into nothing. He got a look on his face that told Kagome something was horribly wrong, that something could never be found out. Like a secret was about to be revealed and he didn’t want it to be. That kind of ‘horribly wrong.’ It reminded Kagome of when she first saw Inuyasha’s demon side, when he had turned back to normal and would barely talk to her, not even look at her. He stared at the ground with such a look…It was an ashamed, hated, shattered look.

It was a look that made Kagome’s heart break.

Sango spoke, “Daiki Sensei, we still don’t understand how this happened.”

“Basics first, my dear. The question is, what is and what makes a devil?”

The group looked around each other and returned to Daiki Sensei with questioning looks.

“Devils are by nature impure spirits, yet not so unclean as to extinguish their good parts; subtle in wickedness, eager to do harm, swollen with pride, etc. These performances in them are due to sin or to punishment. Where the sin is greater, there is the punishment greater. Where there is no discipline or obedience, there all work without distinction, and that there is no discipline or obedience among devils, and no agreement. This means that Kagome must have done a horrible thing to receive such a punishment, and as she is such a fiery and rebellious young woman, she has little discipline or obedience to those other than her birth parents and elders, the people who she respects. That does not mean she does not respect you, it means she will take orders from those who have a higher perspective of things such as war and love. A rebellious and sinful spirit of life is subject to an obedient, virtuous and just spirit of life.

“Among the proud there is always contention. Examples such as this are between Kagome and Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango, Inuyasha and his brother Sesshomaru, Inuyasha and the wolf demon Koga, Inuyasha and Jaken, Inuyasha and-”

“Ok ok I get it, it’s a sin to be proud,” Inuyasha grumbled.

“We have never read that there is equality in account of emancipation, therefore neither is there equality in the matter of duty and temptation. Houshi, this is your downfall. Your duty is to preach the lords and refuse temptation, neither of which you can achieve.

“Leviathan, a book you, Kagome, may be familiar with, signifies the members of the devil, and how one smites to another. There is among devils both diversity of order and action. You know Lucifer as the ultimate devil, the leader of all devils. In your time, the devils are called demons, and are thought of as a faux. The only devil in your time is Lucifer, and when his demons walk the Earth, it is titled the Apocalypse. This brings to point that this time has demons roaming the Earth, and as Naraku is the leader of most demons, he shall be known as Lucifer. Does this imply we live in an Apocalypse, or that an Apocalypse is upon us? The Jewel of Four Souls is the ultimate power source. Those so attracted to it to sell out friendship, life, love, and family for power are those devils closest to the devil. Demons in this time are separated: some are good, and helpful towards humans or stand on the sidelines and do not take a side, or some are bad, where they use power to destroy and gain what is wanted. The good demons may be considered angels in your time, for the practice of these abominations as bad demons do is for the most part foreign to the nobility of the angelic nature, for they harmonize with their nature, with the Divine wisdom, and their own wickedness. Angels are ministers of the Divine wisdom, so of course there seems to be some negligence among them. Divine wisdom permits certain evil to be done by bad angels or men, for the sake of the good the Lord draws wherefrom, so also the good angels do not altogether prevent wicked men or devils from doing evil. For sin does not take away their nature, and the devils after the Fall did not lose their natural gifts, as has been said before; and the operations of things follow their natural conditions. Therefore, in nature and operation the angels are various and multiple.

“As to the demons of this world being higher than humans: since the lower bodies are by natural ordination below the celestial bodies, and their actions and motions are subject to the actions and motions of the celestial bodies, and since the devils, as has been said, differ among themselves in natural order, they also differ among themselves in their natural actions, both extrinsic and intrinsic, and especially in the performance of the abominations in question. That which is ordained is ordained by God and since devils were deputed by God for the temptation of men and the punishment of the damned, they work upon men from the outside by many different ways. For since they are at war with the human race, they fight in an orderly manner, so they think to do greater harm to men, and so they do. Humans are weaker than demons in strength and speed, hearing and sight. But when it comes to willpower and emotions and sometimes even thought, a man can out do a demon any day, if they have enough fight within their hearts.”

So in human actions, the foulest and beastliest acts are considered by themselves, and not in relation to the duty of human nature and procreation.” Daiki Sensei finished.

“In other words,” Kagome said, Inuyasha speaking for her, “because humans feel guilt and remorse, they go against their nature?”

“In a way, yes.” Daiki Sensei replied.

“Lemme get this straight old man. Demons like me and Koga and Jaken, Kirara and Shippo, and even Sesshomaru would be considered angels to the people in Kagome’s time? And Naraku is this Lucifer dude, and all the evil demons we kill are devils in this time but actual demons in her time? And we live in the end of the world, or close to it? Wow…that’s some messed up shit. Where are you getting all this information from anyway?” Inuyasha guffawed.

“It’s called Catholicism. It’s a religion in America and Eastern Europe mostly,” Kagome provided for Inuyasha.

“Shippo, tell the others what Kagome said,” Inuyasha ordered.

“I didn’t hear anything though!” Shippo cried out.

“Gah, fine. Kagome said it’s a religion called Catholicism practiced in other countries. Not ours. And, if we don’t practice this religion here, then why do we need to know about it?”

“Because it is what will save her life. It is a 15th century dual volume collection. The spell Mikuro used was from this time, and it was Catholic. That is why you need to know it. Fellow hanyou, mind your tongue. It is bothering my thoughts,” Daiki Sensei warned.

Kagome could tell he was getting ticked off at Inuyasha, so she told him to hold his retorts for a bit because we still needed help understanding.

Inuyasha tensed up suddenly as his hand shot towards the sword at his side. Kirara bristled and growled next to her master, making Sango and Miroku aware of the danger.

Something was lurking right outside the window.


	8. Chapter 8

Many times Kagome had wondered who would be the one to bring her true happiness. She contemplated it often. She would never fall for Hojo in a million years, no matter how sweet he was to her. There really was no one else in her time. Then she came to this time, the Sengoku Period of Japan, and met Inuyasha. When she first met him, she thought he looked like a Greek god bound for eternity to nature. His hair, his clothes, but most of all his ears mesmerized her. Inuyasha was her first glimpse at demon power and her first demon acquaintance. But they fought so much, and that made it hard to read his face and decipher the things he said. And then there was the whole Kikyo situation thing. It confused her so much. Miroku was out of the question. Then Kouga came along. There was no way in hell she would ever have considered him. So, with the small exception of Inuyasha still claiming the uncertainty category, Kagome had no one to wonder about. She had often dreamt of her perfect love, just as any other girl had. He would have been taller than her by a few inches, better than a Greek god kind of handsome, with dark brown hair streaked with ocher. His eyes would have been either a very dazzling shade of emerald green or equally dazzling gold butterscotch. His cheekbones would be prominent, and his smile would light up any cloudy day with his perfect white teeth. And his body would have been well sculpted, but scrawny all the same. And his kisses would send her to heaven, while even the slightest touch would drive her heart into a rapid frenzy of erratic beating. Entirely and completely human. 

She examined her perfect love. As she pictured him now, he had changed until bits and pieces of him resembled pieces of Inuyasha. She knew this could not be right, but when she tried to imagine the original, it continued to escape to the back of her mind. 

Daiki Sensei was still talking. And Kagome had been listening, but her thoughts still lingered for too long on the words he spoke, and continued to wander even further from the subject. She kept glancing at Inuyasha, to watch his reactions to the same words that had forced her thoughts to ponder their meaning. His posture was too tense. Which meant he understood what was going on. 

A sudden urge to look out the window forced Kagome to do its will. She did. What she saw terrified her. 

“Inuyasha….something is coming… and it’s not friendly!” She squeaked the last part to him. 

His ears twitched, his body tensed, and his hand immediately shot to the hilt of Tetsusaiga. Kirara, Miroku and Sango followed his battle-ready actions, and tensed. Shippo, on the other hand, had heard nothing, and seen nothing. He sat as dully as he had been before, uninterested more than ever. 

Daiki Sensei spoke as if nothing was the matter, “I have told you mainly of what you need to know. Hold onto your peace, and live with dignity.” 

With that, Daiki Sensei vanished, leaving wisps of smoke trailing towards the heavens and sprouting their own branches of smoke. 

Sango was the only being within the group that knew what had happened. The others stared at the spot where Fuzenakki Daiki had once sat, wonder and horror each mirroring their faces. 

Sango hissed at them to get their attention back on the production at hand. 

A low, sinister cackle jeered at them beyond the walls of the miniature house. What sounded like nails running across a chalkboard rang through the shack. 

Inuyasha tried to leap towards the sounds, but Kagome caught him before he could move an inch. The ethereal warmth on his arm and back told him she was forcing him to get back down. He knew not to move against her will, because at the moment she knew more than he did. Otherwise, she would not have stopped him from moving. 

Kagome could see exactly who the taunters were. A large imp sat a few yards away from the house, grinding his sharp canines together and running his needle-thin claws along the rocks at his feet. His mind’s body sat aloof in the air next to him, and it held no resemblance whatsoever to the imp she saw. It was purple, enormous, and deformed. Kagome could see muscles that were not supposed to be where they were in spots that were too small to fit them, and too many bones for a normal skeleton. It had long, scraggly-haired ears, and very, very small black slits for eyes. It slouched over, but was still well over the height of a man. Its spine threatened to burst out of its skin, and its still-needle-thin claws were long enough to drag on the ground as it floated above its physical body. Its feet were the size of a woman’s thigh that clearly contrasted with its toothpick-like chest. 

Kagome shuddered at the beastly demon. She was amazed at how disproportionate it was and how it just didn’t burst at the seams from being so. 

The imp’s fellow taunter was a tall, devilish looking fellow. He glared at his fingernails, his hand crossing over his chest to support his elbow. He seemed elegant and seductive, yet in the same way overpowering and malevolent. He was a siren. His green-blue hair was cropped to his neck, and the clothes he wore were fresh and spotless. There was nothing too peculiar about this demon. His mental form was an exact replica of his physical body, save one thing being different…around his mental form was an aura of seeable, tangible, pure evil. 

Kagome shrunk back further into the hut. She felt she needed to get as far away from these demons as possible, partially because she felt she knew them from somewhere, somehow. But she stayed, and she told Inuyasha what awaited them. 

“Herutatani, do you smell that?” the siren asked the imp. 

“Yes, Yukitani, I do. It smells deliciouusssss,” the imp named Herutatani hissed as he licked his shiny yellow canines. 

As he was speaking, he moved closer to the hut, and everyone could hear his slight shuffling. 

Inuyasha bristled by Kagome’s side and tried to contain the snarl that threatened to rip from his lips. 

“Herutatani, I think it’s time to gather our rewards.” Inuyasha could hear the smirk in the siren’s words. 

“Yeeesssss!” 

Suddenly, the roof flew into the sky. Shippo jumped up, and watched in horror as it caught a draft and was carried away, piece by minuscule piece. He saw a pair of gleaming black eyes shrouded in darkness, staring at the group. 

Inuyasha couldn’t hold himself back, couldn’t let Kagome hold him back anymore. He jumped into the air, and swung Tetsusaiga at the black eyes. Two claws stopped it in its tracks. The imp stepped out of shadow, to the edge of where the roof was ripped out, sliding his needle-thin claws down the lip of the blade, towards Inuyasha. 

Inuyasha stiffened as he watched the imp stop the blade using only two fingernails with such ease. He watched the imp glide them down his blade. He continued to watch, frozen. No one had ever stopped his blade like that before. Not Naraku, not Hakudoshi, not even Sesshomaru. 

The claws stopped at the hilt. The imp, however, started to move. Inuyasha was still too shocked to even notice. 

“InuYASHA!” Kagome screamed at him in horror. Why wasn’t he moving!? Why wasn’t he fighting!? 

A slight tingle in Inuyasha’s nose unfroze his body, and hearing her voice scream his name unfroze his mind. He blinked, and retreated blindingly fast onto the other side of the house. 

“Herutatani, keep the half-breed busy.” The siren said, not waiting for an answer. Apparently, he had done his homework. He casually walked into the hut, using the doorway, surprisingly. Sango stood ready to defend her friends, while Kirara transformed at her side, hissing, and Miroku had his hand at the ready. 

“Yukitani.” 

The voice came out of nowhere, it surprised everyone. Shippo, as he stood next to Kagome’s body, jumped in surprise and turned around. 

Kagome spoke. That one word had been so clear and strong; the group thought her mind, body, and soul were one again. 

But it was not so. She laid still once more, her face engraved with a look of pure hatred. 

Yukitani watched with mild interest at the group and their reactions. But he turned to Kagome’s mind, the one no one else could see. He spoke to her as if he could see her, hear her, and even touch her. 

“Ah, how does one such as you know who I am?” 

Kagome’s fists were clenched, and she guessed her hands would have been bleeding if she were physically performing the action. Her face was contorted with rage, and when she had spoken his name, malice dripped from every syllable. 

“School,” she spat through her gritted teeth. 

“I see. Hmm…how very strange you appear. Your nothing but a human, yet you have three forms. How did this happen, I wonder,” he grinned at the thought. Yukitani loved to think, read, and write. He had been a philosopher before he was assigned to be an averter. 

His grin turned iniquitous, “Would you care very much…if I stole you and studied you?” 

Kagome shivered. He wanted her as a test subject, a guinea pig. 

“You’ll never lay a hand on her!” Miroku cried. He grabbed his staff from behind him, and struck the siren. At least, he struck the air where the siren had been. 

Yukitani appeared behind him, next to Sango. She flicked her blade at him, but he was even faster. He punched her in the stomach, and she collapsed onto the floor, holding her stomach and gasping for air. He turned to Miroku’s back, and flung his arms out to him. 

Kagome, moving as fast as she could (which was very fast because she was pretty much a ghost), stopped Yukitani from attacking Miroku. Her mental body flowed into his, connecting in ways they were alike, and purifying the parts that were different. Yukitani screamed. This was a very new experience for him. He at first repelled the mutual existence. But soon, she was melded to him, and he began to accept it. He felt light, and just…pure. His arms dropped and his eyes closed. 

Miroku turned around in time to see what had happened, while Kagome‘s physical body began to scream at the incongruous contact. 

“Miroku, go help Inuyasha!” Kagome ordered through Yukitani’s physical body. 

He blinked. Then, he nodded and ran out the door. 

All of this had only taken about a minute. 

Kagome felt herself being accepted into Yukitani’s being. She felt disgusted at the thought of being one with this kind of demon. Especially this demon. She tore her connections from his, and leaped out of his mental body, pushing him aside. 

As she left his mind, a shock of electricity shot between them, disappearing as suddenly as it had appeared. 

Shippo, cringing against the wall with tears streaming down his face, cried out in horror at the image before him. Sango lay on the floor, still cradling her stomach, and gasped alongside Shippo at the sight. 

Inuyasha, fighting Herutatani outside the hut, heard the screaming. Kagome. He immediately drew together a Wind Scar. It scorched its way towards Herutatani, who stood wonderingly in the path of the winds. As Herutatani stood transfixed in the middle of Wind Scar’s path, Inuyasha ran towards the hut, only to be stopped by Miroku. “No, Inuyasha, Kagome said to fight the imp. Stay out of the hut!” Inuyasha growled and pushed past Miroku. “Wait Inuyasha!” 

He did not wait. 

Inuyasha jumped over the wall in his way, and saw the shock of electricity course through the air between the siren and…Kagome. It could be no one else other than her, he thought, it has to be her! 

Yukitani still stood motionless, staring into space. He seemed shell-shocked. 

Kirara would have attacked him right then. It was the perfect time. But if she failed, then no one would be there to protect Sango, Shippo or Kagome. So, she knelt down and curled around her friend. 

Inuyasha ran towards Kagome’s mental body, though he could not see it. His arms floundered in the air and on the floor, searching for the familiar warmth he felt when she touched him. 

“Kagome. Kagome! Where are you?!” He screamed. 

“In-Inuyasha…” 

It wasn’t Kagome. It was Sango. 

Inuyasha had barely noticed her. He had barely noticed anyone but the electric stream between Yukitani and space. Sango was trying to sit up. She must have had quite a few broken ribs if she was not able to stand up at all. She hissed at the contact as Inuyasha stopped his fruitless searching and pulled her to her feet none too gently. 

He still tightly gripped her arm as he growled at her, “Where’s Kagome?” 

It was a stupid thing to ask, he knew, but he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t help it that humans were weak. He couldn’t help it that their senses were so dull that they couldn’t catch a fly if it was buzzing around their head. He couldn’t help that Kagome was not whole again yet. He could not help his feeling of vulnerability, because he couldn’t find her. And he couldn’t help that he felt broken as such a human emotion rampaged through him. 

He almost threw Sango down as she stared at him, dumbfounded at his hostility, making Kirara hiss at him. 

Yukitani put his hand up to his head and jiggled it a bit, shaking off the feeling of anxiety that had crept upon him after the separation. 

“Strange…I will need to exam such an interaction…very soon,” he said to the sky. “Herutatani! Enough playing, it’s time to leave.” 

Herutatani popped up on the edge of the roof again, and whined, “But…but…but!” 

“No. We shall depart now,” Yukitani enforced his demand. He jumped up to join the imp, and with a backward glance to somewhere on the floor, Yukitani took off into the night, Herutatani, who was still grumbling, following closely. 

Shippo trembled his way out of the corner where he had hidden, and mumbled, “M-Mi-Miroku…wher…?” He was inquiring to where Miroku was, Sango realized.  
She cried out as loud as she could, without straining her ribcage too badly, for him. 

Minutes later, he stumbled through the doorway. His hair was matted with blood, while it freely streamed down his neck and cheeks. He was leaning on his staff a little too much…a broken ankle or foot, Sango guessed. 

“Kirara, don’t worry about me, go help him, please!” she pleaded. She did not like the way he looked. 

Kirara hesitated next to her friend, but got back up on her feet and padded over to Miroku, who leaning on her gratefully. She pulled him over to the bed, and he collapsed on it next to Kagome’s body. Kirara turned back to Sango, who had stayed standing thankfully, and brought her over to Miroku and Kagome‘s physical body. 

“Miroku, are you okay?” Inuyasha asked from his spot on the floor. He had been trying to sniff out Kagome while all this happened, but all he could smell was Yukitani’s sweet stench, overpowering her smell. Every once in a while he would get a whiff of her, but then it disappeared. 

Inuyasha didn’t receive an answer; Miroku was passed out on the bed. 

“Inuyasha…” 

His ears perked. That was Kagome. 

“Where are you?!” he yelled. 

“Ahhck, please, don’t yell. I’m here.” she waited for him to move, but he didn’t. “To your left,” he moved left, but not far enough. “A little more, you dope,” she even had enough energy to giggle at him. It was a funny picture, him on the floor as he was: knees and hands spread wide apart on the floor, kneeling, head stretched way out, nose pointed up, ears pointing in all directions. 

He reached that familiar warmth he was looking for, and he reached to cradle the warmth. 

“Kagome,” he looked at where her eyes would be, “what the hell happened to you.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so here’s a new thing. Instead of calling them physical bodies and mental bodies all the time, im just gonna shorten it to physicals and mentals. Im gonna ease into it though, so some words here and there will be with ‘body’ and without ‘body’. purposely done, no alarm needed.

“Wha-what??” Kagome stuttered, “What do you mean what happened to me?” 

“You were electrocuted! Kagome, how do you not remember that?!” Inuyasha said to her. He was still cradling her ethereal body, as everyone else stared at the strange scene before them. 

“Oh…yea I remember that,” there was a long pause. “I…We…I…I don’t know. I just, I tried stopping Yukitani-” at Inuyasha’s blank stare, she quickly explained and continued, “the siren, the one the imp, Herutatani, listened to, from attacking Miroku. So I…I ran to him, no, into him, into his mental body. I was actually aiming for his, ah, physical body, but his mental body kinda floated in the way. I tried to get out of it, but it just…sucked me in! He…he had connections, er…I don’t know what to call them, they were like tentacles that suddenly came from his aura, and they connected with my own.” Inuyasha looked at her like she was crazy, “Hey! Don’t give me that look; it’s hard to remember this stuff! Anyway, he attached himself to me and it…oh, it was such a terrible feeling, it felt like I was part of him, like I wasn’t Kagome anymore, I wasn’t even human. I didn’t like it. No, I hated it, I hated that feeling, and I wanted to be me again. So, I tried to pull away, as hard as I could. I got out, and then I don’t know what happened. I just…blacked out. A mind is still capable of that, even without a physical body, apparently,” she finished. 

“But what were those bolts between you two?” Inuyasha wanted to know. 

“Inuyasha, what did she say?” Miroku asked. His consciousness had regained itself when Kagome was half the way through her speech, though he did not know she had been talking.  
Inuyasha shortened it for him, plucking out the minor details. 

Miroku tried to sit up, but was pushed back down by Sango’s firm hand. She may have been injured, but she was still strong. Miroku sighed and replied to Inuyasha, “I think I know what the electric currents between them were.” 

This caught Inuyasha’s attention. He slipped his hand around the warmth, and held her up close to him, though she didn’t need the support, as he stood up to walk over to Miroku. 

“Keep talking, houshi,” he ordered, as he stood next to the bed. 

“It’s really simple, actually. When she was entirely connected with him, everything that was each’s own, then was shared. In this case, her miko powers were shared with him, and whatever powers he had transferred over to her too. What you saw was her powers pass through the air in a solid transference from him to her.” Miroku told Inuyasha. “That’s at least what I think happened.” 

“It makes sense though. Because miko powers belong only with mikos. But what about his powers?” Sango asked. 

“I don’t know if she continues to possess them or not.” Miroku glanced at the body next to him. “Her mark has grown,” he stated. 

“Wait, but he’s a demon.” Inuyasha stated. Everyone looked at him like he was Captain Obvious. 

“Keh, of course this would slip by you. He would have been purified if her powers would have been shared between the two.” 

Miroku shut his eyes, and brought his hand up to rest over them. “Not necessarily. He was a very powerful demon. Her power might not have been the dominant one, however predominant it is for every other demon. It could have just mingled with his, or fought for the right of dominance. But it didn’t last long enough for us to know. In any case, we will never find the answer to this particular riddle unless Kagome does it again. And by the sound of things, it seems to me she won’t be doing it any time soon.” 

“Inuyasha, tell them what I say: I don’t think my powers were dominating at all, because when I was…part of him, I felt disgusting. I felt impure, completely the opposite of what I do when I’m using my powers, or even when I’m just a plain old human. Like I said before, I hated it. If that’s what it feels like being a demon, then I don’t want to have any part of it.” Kagome said to the group. 

Inuyasha’s ears flattened and he looked at the floor, scowling. His arms dropped and folded around each other. He repeated her exact words to Sango and Miroku. His last repeated words were so vehement, it surprised everyone. What had got him in this mood? 

He turned and stalked out the door without a word to anyone else. 

Kirara automatically went out after him. Sango beckoned her back, but Kirara didn’t listen. 

Kagome floated there, and watched him leave. What the hell was his problem…? 

“Well, Kirara will come back some time in the night, and he’ll come back to us in the morning. Right now, it would be best for us to clean up our wounds, get some food and some sleep until the morning.” Sango said, getting up slowly. 

“Wait, where are you going?” Miroku said, struggling to get up too. 

“No, lay back down Miroku,” she put her hand on the back of his neck, her other hand on his chest, and gently pushed him back down, “I’m just going to get more firewood, since I seem to be the only one able to walk at the moment.” she glanced at Kagome’s body, at Shippo, who had, out of sheer exhaustion, collapsed on the floor sleeping, and finally her eyes came to rest back on Miroku. She was still bent over, hands on his neck and chest. She sighed, smiled at Miroku, and slowly got up. 

Sango walked out the door as fast as she could without keeling over in pain. She hadn’t been sure if Kagome was there still or not, so she didn’t do anymore than she had with Miroku. But Kagome had been there. She saw Sango’s mind, floating around her physical, just begging to be let loose and take care of the one she loved. What Kagome hadn’t seen was Inuyasha’s mentals. She would have given anything, absolutely anything, to see what he was thinking when she had said what she said. What had she said to make him act like that? Kagome, with a newly determined mind, floated up into the sky after Inuyasha. 

Sango returned with an armload of firewood. She looked at Miroku and smirked, “Good thing we don’t need to start up a fire already, right?” 

“Heheh, right,” he replied. He had forced himself to sit up when she was out. Now, she had no choice but to let him stay up. She put logs on the fire, and the rest into the smaller pile already on the floor. 

“Ok, time to get you cleaned up,” Sango told Miroku. 

She ordered him to keep his broken ankle on the bed instead of on the floor. She put her kimono underneath it, to keep it from swelling too badly. She’d need some ice for it later, and a splint…She fetched some water in a bucket, and a rag lying around. Sango dunked it into the water, wrung it of most of its water, and brought it over to Miroku. 

He aimed to grab the rag, but she drew it out of his way before he could reach it. She eyed him, and pursed her lips. “No,” was all she said. 

Miroku sighed, and sidled over a bit to make room for her on the bed with him and Kagome. She knelt down and put the bucket of water on the bed. Sango dabbed at his face, and occasionally put it back in the bucket to refresh it. She watched him as she cleaned his wounds. 

His eyes were closed, and his brows were furrowed in stress. Miroku sighed into the rag as the cool water ran down his neck and eased his burning flesh. His face relaxed as he released his stress. 

“Take off your robe.” 

Miroku’s eyes flung wide, and his mouth dropped centimeters, only to close again. He stared at Sango. 

Realizing her words, she held up the newly refreshed rag, as a contained blush threatened to break through her skin, and pointed at the bleeding lines going down his neck onto his chest and across his back. 

“Oh,” he laughed slightly. He shook his good arm out of the side of his robe. The other one was more of a hassle. He shut his eyes tight and hissed at the contact when the cloth rubbed against his open flesh. But in the same moment, it was completely off of him. He opened his eyes in relief and looked down. Sango’s hand was still on the sleeve, which was all the way off his arm. Miroku’s eyes followed her arm up to her face, and she was trying really hard not to laugh at him because it was rude, or just trying not to give herself even more pain by not laughing at him, he couldn’t decide. He mumbled his thanks and showed his neck to her, so that it would be easier to get to. 

Sango began talking to him, “What happened with Herutatani? After Inuyasha left.” She was patting his neck down, washing off the caked on blood. Her other hand was on the other side of his neck, to keep him from moving as she cleaned him. It was a strange thing to think about, but he couldn’t help notice that her hands were very soft for a woman such as her…and he couldn’t have been sure about it…but it almost felt like her thumb was caressing his skin. He doubted she was. 

“He didn’t try to go after Inuyasha. He just stood in the way of the Tetsusaiga’s wind scars, and let himself be enveloped by them. It was strange. Then, when the wind scar dissipated, he ran out of the dust surrounding the touchdown area heading straight for me. Unfortunately, the hut was right behind me, so I ran west of him, to get him away from the hut.” 

Miroku grunted. He hadn’t noticed that Sango’s hands had begun kneading out the grass soil in his arms, and just now became aware of the pain in his arm. 

“Sorry,” she said, glancing up with an apologetic look on her face. She was very surprised he hadn’t tried anything perverted yet. She had said something that so easily had been turned into a sexual innuendo, he was sitting there half-naked, and yet he was still civilized…how strange. The wounds were mostly clear of the clumps of dirt, so Sango grabbed the rag and instead of wringing it out over the bucket, she grabbed his wrist and gently held out his arm. It stayed there when she let go. Satisfied, she slowly wrung out the water over his arm, moving from his shoulder to his wrist. Sango noticed the wiry, strong muscles underneath the skin as the water washed over his arm. She couldn’t help but imagine what those arms would feel like wrapped around her. 

Sango pushed the thought away, and grabbed his wrist again with more force than before. She saw his look, and lessened her grip. She needed to loosen up… 

“And, when we finally met after running so far, his claws scraped my arm.” Miroku pointed to the spot Sango had just cleaned. Now she was cleaning off his back, which was also full of dirt, he could tell, only because he could feel both of her hands working his wounds. Once again, he thought of how soft those strong, protective hands of hers were, and that they were touching him and only him. “I returned his attack with 3 burning sutras of my own. He giggled…giggled! At the pain. All he did was pluck them off his skin, and they disappeared. I attacked him again with my staff and he parried it with only his claws, while the other hand swiped down at my feet. I was too late to stop that counter. Then, the claws the stopped my staff slithered their way around it and flung it out of my reach.” Miroku stopped talking as Sango tapped his shoulder. 

“I need you to lie down. So that I can get to your…” she gulped and hesitated as she searched for the right word, “front.” She hoped Miroku hadn’t noticed the hesitation. She was already nervous enough, him being half-naked, wet, and her touching him like she was. Sango hadn’t been meaning to, but she had been touching him with more intention than just holding him steady, and kneading out the dirt. She turned around to put another log on the fire. 

He did as he was told, with not a glimmer of knowing of her hesitation. Sango turned back to him, looked him up and down, gasped out loud and looked away. She had never really been near Miroku when he was unclothed in any way. But now, being this close to him, and in the dim light, shadows were cast across every hard line of his chest and stomach, accenting each curve. Miroku was extremely chiseled…and Sango could barely contain herself. 

Miroku thought she had gasped at the ghastly wounds in his stomach. “Dear Sango, it’s ok! They do not hurt as bad as they look, I promise you.” He reached for her shoulder, but she turned around so fast he withdrew it just as fast, without her noticing. In truth, she hadn’t even noticed the wounds. 

She flung her hands into the bucket and slowly pulled out the rag. She wrung it out so hard that she had to put it back into the bucket to soak up more water. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, opened them, and turned back to Miroku. She almost gasped again as she glared at his body, cursing it for looking like this. 

Her hand that wasn’t holding the rag reached out to rest on his stomach, next to the biggest gash. 

Sango held in a whimper. How could a body have so much power over a person! 

She squeezed the rag and water washed over the abrasion. Watered-down blood spilled over his exposed hipbone; he had to scoot up the bed to lie down, otherwise his ankle would have been pushed off the cushioning, and his robe had stayed where it was, instead of staying with his body. She put the rag back in the bucket, “Continue, please.” 

“Oh, yes. He flung my staff too far away for me to reach it. And while he did this, his other hand came down, and he shoved his needlepoints into my ankle. I think his claws severed a muscle and punctured the side of a bone, which is probably why I can still walk on it, though I can’t put much pressure on it.” 

Sango had closely been examining his wound, scowering the gash for any excess grime she may have missed. “Your ankle, I need to look at it.” She wiped down his chest one more time with the rag, and made her way over to the foot of the bed. 

“And that’s when Yukitani called him back to the hut,” Miroku finished. 

“I see.” 

Miroku became silent. He watched Sango as she cleaned. She seemed so concentrated on what she was doing. 

Sango worked in silence while cleaning up the wound. She finally started bandaging up the dried wounds. She wound random pieces of cloth around his neck, his arms, his back, and his chest. 

“Your ankle is going to be a problem. If it’s not broken, then we don’t need a splint, but if the muscle is torn, we probably need a brace or crutches or something. And I can’t make anything in the condition I’m in, so I don’t know what to do with it.” 

“It’s quite all right dear Sango. I can live. I will just have to improvise, provided Kirara comes back some time soon,” Miroku laughed. 

Sango smiled. “Can you turn on your side, or does it hurt too much?” 

Miroku tried, and succeeded, “Yes, I can. Why?” 

“Because I need to fix my ribs…” she said in a small voice. She put her hand on the side of the bed and pushed herself up. She stood up and turned around, too, as Miroku did, and was already un-strapping herself from her taijiya suit. She glanced behind her, only to see Miroku looking at her very seriously. 

“What?” she asked, a blush spreading across her face. 

“You can’t do that by yourself. I know you can’t.” 

“Yes I can, I’ve done it before. Don’t worry about me, Miroku, I can do it.” 

“Are you sure you don’t need help?” 

“I’m positive houshi. Thank you. Now turn back around,” she ordered. 

He did. She walked over to the opposite side of the hut, further from Miroku and the fire. It was much colder over there. Sango shivered, and rubbed her arms. She shrugged her arms out of their sleeves, and pushed the suit down to her waist, which made her grimace and suck in air. 

“Are you alright?” Miroku asked. 

Sango turned around to look at him, but he was still facing the wall. “I’m fine. Miroku, really, you don’t need to worry about me,” she assured him. He hmphed in answer. 

She looked around her for the still-wet rag and the bandages. They weren’t anywhere near her. She hugged her body, and looked behind her. And of course, they were right next to Miroku. She looked back towards the wall she was standing in front of, and sighed. Suddenly, something hit her ankle. She looked down, and the bandages lay next to her feet. She looked behind her again, and Miroku’s hand was still in the air. 

“I thought you might need that,” he smiled and turned back around. 

“Thanks. But stay turned around, I need to get the rag too.” She crossed her arms around her exposed chest and slowly walked over to the bucket. She was inches from Miroku when she bent down to get the rag sitting in the bucket. Her breath eased out of her lungs and caressed the skin of his neck. He shivered at the feeling. 

“Stay where you are…cause I’m still right here.” She breathed out again. 

Sango wrung out the rag with one hand, the other still covering her chest. She was having trouble standing back up from her kneeling position, so she was forced to put her hand on the bed. It brushed Miroku’s back, and a shock passed between them. Miroku almost turned around, but stopped himself when he remembered that she didn’t have on a top. She quickly pushed herself up and held in a groan from the pain. “Sorry,” she said as she walked away. 

She bent down to grab the bandages, and began wrapping her chest, starting at the side, ignoring the pain. Sango’s heart thumped dramatically in her chest and she was as nervous as a bird learning to fly. 

Hands wrapped around her waist, and she gasped. They slid from the top of her hipbones to her naval, and rested there. Her hands stopped their movements, and the bandages dropped from her hands. The splayed hands on her stomach slid down her waist. One stopped at the edge of her folded suit, and the other fell off her hips, to the floor, to pick up the bandages. The hand brought the bandages back up to hers, and moved her hands to begin wrapping again. 

A pair of lips whispered in her ear, “You don’t need to do this by yourself. I can help.” The lips nipped at her ear lobe, and she controlled her reaction. He had gotten to her so quietly, it surprised her. 

“Mi-Miroku, go back to the bed. You n-need to rest,” she stuttered. The lips made her quite distracted. Her reactions may have been under control, but her voice…she couldn’t seem to keep it steady. 

The lips moved from her ear to her neck, “No,” he whispered firmly against her neck.


End file.
